He hasn’t gotten as many headlines as his higher-profile teammate, but Liberty senior Isaiah Bell does have the highest ranking among area recruits, according to the latest Scout.com rankings.

Bell, a Michigan recruit who plays safety and wide receiver, grades out at 81 out of 100, which puts him in a four-way tie for third among Ohio seniors.

Ohio State recruit C.J. Barnett, a cornerback from Northmont Senior, and Marcus Hall, a lineman from Cleveland Glenville, eached earned 82s to finish atop the list.

Two Ohio State recruits, Mooney defensive tackle John Simon and Boardman offensive lineman Corey Linsley, both earned 80s.

Bell’s teammate, senior running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, grades out at 79. Toussaint is also a Michigan recruit and led the Valley in rushing this fall with more than 2,200 yards and 28 TDs as Liberty finished 8-3, a playoff berth and a league title.

Also making the top 20 were Mooney punter Vince Penza (79) and Ursuline linebacker Darrell Mason (79).

Ohio State, which already has 26 commitments, ranks second behind USC so far. The rankings can be found on ESPN.com.

History lesson

Although five of the six area teams enter this weekend’s games as either underdogs or even picks (Ursuline is the lone favorite), history suggests at least two teams will advance.

Since the OHSAA expanded to eight teams in each region in 1999, the Mahoning Valley has always had at least two teams make it to the regional final. Here’s the breakdown: 1999 (two), 2000 (four), 2001 (three), 2002 (five), 2003 (two), 2004 (three), 2005 (five), 2006 (four), 2007 (four).

Fuzzy memories

One of the best games I ever covered was the 2002 Div. I state final between Warren Harding and Cincinnati Elder, which the Raiders lost 21-19.

The game was delayed about 40 minutes because of an awful snowstorm, which backed up traffic on I-77. I remember several Cincinnati fans stopping at the side of the highway to ... well, let’s just say they drank too much bottled water.

I remember the game started after 8 p.m. and went down to the final seconds, with Harding scoring all 19 of its points in the fourth quarter.

I remember Harding lost when it couldn’t convert a two-point conversion and failed to recover the on-side kick with less than a minute left.

I remember I had about 11 minutes after the game ended to write a sidebar and I wrote some lines about Fawcett Stadium looking like a shook-up snow globe and a green candy cane.

I mention all this because twice last week I wrote that Harding lost to Cincinnati St. Xavier in that game.

Yes, I’m an idiot.

Quick hits

Home teams (seeds 1-4) went 76-20 in the first round last weekend, with all but one No. 1 seed advancing. Toledo Central Catholic, which beat Canfield in the 2005 Div. II title game, was upset by Powell Olentangy Liberty, 34-7, although it doesn’t seem like much of an upset when you look at that score. ... There were 10 teams statewide that made the playoffs for the first time this season. All 10 played on the road last weekend. All 10 lost. ... South Range didn’t play well in last week’s loss to 63-7 Kirtland, but I enjoyed watching senior Jack Dawson, who kept playing hard even when the game was out of reach. ... As I was climbing up to Kirtland’s death trap of a press box, I was reminded how many area schools have first-rate facilities. Fitch’s stadium, which just installed a new press box, is an absolute gem and the new turf fields at Girard and Poland look great.

X Joe Scalzo covers sports for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.